Every Once In A While...

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower on the Elizabeth River in Portsmouth Virginia (click to enlarge)
Olympus E-M1, Olympus 12-40mm lens @ 19mm; 1/500th sec. @ f/5.6; ISO 200

Every once in a while, one may happen to see an extraordinary sight, be it a landscape, cityscape, portrait, etc.  Last Friday, again from my office window, I was fortunate to see the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, a nuclear aircraft carrier, proceeding down the Elizabeth River toward my office.

I grabbed my E-M1, attached the Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO lens, and made a few images through the proverbial dirty office window.  Then, I switched to the 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO lens and headed down the elevator and out to the seawall to record this extraordinary sight.  Unfortunately, the sun was 3/4 backlit, but I opened up the shadows in Lightroom to reveal some of the detail.  The E-M1's sensor had plenty of dynamic range to handle the extreme contrast.  Here are a few images I made.

Olympus E-M1, Olympus 40-150mm lens @ 150mm; 1/500th sec. @ f/5.6; ISO 200

Olympus E-M1, Olympus 12-40mm lens @ 40mm; 1/2000th sec. @ f/5.6; ISO 200

Olympus E-M1, Olympus 12-40mm lens @ 13mm; 1/750th sec. @ f/5.6; ISO 200

If you never have had the opportunity to see a United States Navy aircraft carrier up close, I will tell you it will get your attention.  I have been fortunate, in my career, to have toured on six of them, even eating with the Captains in their staterooms.  Here are a few statistics just to give you an idea of how large this unbelievable floating city really is:

Length: 1092 ft. (332.8m)
Width (beam): 252 ft. (76.8 m)
Height: Estimated to be about the same as a 23 story building
Speed: 30+ knots (56+ kph) but real top speed is classified
How long can it stay at sea?  20-25 years with its nuclear propulsion system
How many people? With the crew and air wing on board, almost 5000 people!

So we are talking about a floating city which can move around the oceans at more than 35 mph (I think it will get above 40-45 mph, but I'm guessing...)

As I said, it is an extraordinary sight to see something this large coming down the river.  If you ever get an opportunity to see one up close, don't pass up that opportunity.

Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

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